Rx for Organization

My daughter has a chronic cough which hits at least once a year and lasts, well…a chronically long time! We’ve been through a drawer full of drugs and finally figured out that 20 days of a high powered antibiotic is about all that will knock it out. Remembering to take meds every day for 20 days (during the structure-less summer, no less) is a challenge for an 8 year old…let alone her organizer mom! So I came up with a system to help us remember:

Low tech: I created a simple spreadsheet that I keep on the fridge. It lists the date and the day that we’re on for her Rx. It also reminds me when the current meds have expired and when it’s time to mix up a new batch. We check off each day so she can see that she’s one day closer to feeling better.

High tech: I set an alarm on my cell phone every day as a backup reminder. If she’s forgotten to take her meds, this will remind us to take them. If we’re out and about having fun, I can leave a voice mail message at home reminding her to take them when we get back.

I hope you and your family are all healthy and happy and enjoying some fun in the sun!

Making Mealtime Work

If I had to pick the Neat Freak hill I’m willing to die on, it might just be mealtime at my house. I’m no gourmand, and if forced to identify my favorite hobbies, cooking may not enter the top 5. But I do feel strongly about creating a healthy meal for my family most nights and having us sit down and eat it together. Below, I’ll share with you my favorite tips for making meal time work. Follow along and you may just find that you save time and money and, as a bonus, eat some amazing home cooked meals with the people you love.

1. Plan. Well, okay, that may sound obvious. But I mean really plan. Sit down once a week with the people who consume food in your home and talk about the next 7 days. What events or activities impact mealtime? Late swim meet? Business meeting? Book club? Boss coming home for dinner? Snack mom for preschool? That’s the kind of planning I’m talking about. Factor all of these events in as you plan your meals and shopping. Then start to build your shopping list around your real life.

2. Map out the meals you plan to prepare at home. I like to spend my Sunday afternoons surrounded by my favorite recipes and cookbooks, a stack of sticky notes, and my calendar. I make decisions about what I want to cook (this can be really fun during farmer’s market season when amazing local food is readily available) and then build a shopping list. I get the family involved and ask the kids to weigh in and make decisions about a meal a week. In another year or so, I’ll be ready to let my kids do the cooking, too. After decisions are made, I write my meal plans in the calendar so there are no “what in the world are we having for dinner?” moments in our week.

3. Create a pre-printed grocery list. This is, in all honesty, my meal planning lifesaver. Save your shopping lists for a couple of weeks. Sit down at your computer and type in the items you purchase regularly. Divide them into categories such as Produce, Baked Goods, Canned Goods, Snacks, etc. If you want to get super neat-freaky, arrange them in the order they appear in your grocery store. Update your list as needed and keep a few copies handy in your kitchen. As you run out of things during the week, circle them on your list. Then, when you’re ready to have your planning session and shop, your list is good to go. Don’t want to start from scratch? Just Google “preprinted grocery list” and you’ll find a few good ones online.

4. Keep it simple. Have your family brainstorm their favorite 12 meals, stock up on the essentials and rotate those meals for a few months. Email friends with similarly aged children and ask what their family favorites are and swap recipes. No one expects gourmet food and total originality every night (at least, no one who eats at my table)!

5. When all else fails, it’s time to cheat. Consider a meal planning service such as Saving Dinner or Six o’ Clock Scramble. If you want to make meal planning a social event, gather up some friends and cook large batches of food you can freeze and share. And if the thought of going to the grocery store practically brings you to tears, check to see if your store offers a shopping service that allows you to create and manage your shopping list online, place an order and pick up your food curbside.

I find that when I’m in my meal planning groove, my family eats healthy, fresh foods; my kids get to experience different tastes and textures; we save money by actually eating what we buy; and I save time by making only one (or sometimes two) trips to the store each week. And the biggest bonus? We spend a little time around the table, talking about our day and breaking bread together. Bon appetit!

Neat Freaky Shoe Solutions

Here’s a little follow up to all of you entry-way Imelda Marcos out there.
1.    Sort the shoes that pile up by the door and ask family members to return infrequently worn shoes to their closets (e.g. if you still have snow shoes readily accessible and you live in the northern hemisphere, give them the boot!)
2.    Pair down (pun intended) the number of shoes your kids wear regularly. For summer, a pair of sneakers and pool shoes should suffice. If your child is currently playing a sport that requires special shoes, keep those handy, too.
3.    Corral the mud/water/mess with a boot tray from an organizational store such as this one from the Container Store.

4.    Think vertically! If you have a coat closet door near your entryway, consider hanging over-the-door shoe pockets on the inside of the door and have your kids put their shoes away in the lower pockets. Higher pockets are great for your shoes or sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses and keys.

5.    Consider keeping a plastic laundry basket (or two!) next to the door for kids to pile sports shoes in. Hose it out occasionally and quickly whisk it away if guests are on their way over.

6.    Other favorite Tools of the Trade:
•    Shoe cubbies are readily available at Target or WalMart and some can hold up to 24 pairs of shoes.

•    I have a huge crush on the Horizontal Shoe Rack from Design Within Reach. Quite pricey, but oh so awesome.

•    Feeling crafty? Make your own similar solution such as this Apartment Therapy reader.

•    Finally, Ikea’s TRONES shoe storage is attractive, handy and inexpensive for shoe storage in narrow spaces.

Do you have a favorite shoe solution? Share it on my blog in the comments section! Inquiring Imelda’s want to know what works for you!

Shoe solutions for the mudroom-less among us…

Makeshift Mudroom

A few weeks ago I posted on Facebook that I was working on my newsletter (it’s coming, it’s coming…I’m just easing in to summer and gettin’ my lazy on for a week or so!). I asked my friends if they had questions for the “Ask the Organizer” segment of my newsletter. I had no idea I was opening up such a huge can of worms, but man, did some friends have some questions and complaints about shoes (kids’ shoes, muddy shoes, stinky shoes, too many shoes, etc.)!

As promised, I’ll be answering these questions and sharing solutions in my upcoming Neat Freak News. For now, I thought I’d share my own shoe solution from the Neat Freak’s house.

First, let it be known, we do not have a mudroom. We don’t even have a garage, so when you walk in our house, you’re officially “in the house.” Shoes can easily pile up–especially since the first thing I utter when we walk in is “shoes off!” In order to keep them from piling up by the door, I had to create a solution that looks good and the kids could use with ease.

Shoe Solution

Peek inside and you’ll see that this armoire holds shoes the kids wear on a regular basis, jackets and coats for the kids, backpacks and bags. On the door we mounted pockets that hold glasses, phone chargers, keys, sunscreen, spare change, and a sock monkey (just because he’s cute). We also use the space at the bottom to store arts and craft supplies for the kids so they can get to them easily.

During the day, adult shoes get piled in here as well. In the evening, we’re responsible for returning our shoes to our closets. The kids keep extra shoes in their closets, but their most frequently worn shoes are usually in the armoire.

Not everyone has a hidden solution like this available. So look for my next newsletter to offer up additional ideas for taming your shoe collection. For now, cheers to summer…the season of bare feet!

Slow the Flow

Just a little something to turn way up on a Friday…Slow the Flow.

Hidden Treasures

Today I was trimming back some azalea bushes in our yard (*the* most beautiful blooms this year!), and I discovered a hidden treasure. Growing between two overgrown bushes was a lovely pink dogwood tree. It’s only about 4′ high but has several pink flowers on it…and I imagine if given some space and sunlight, it will have many more next year. We have loads of white dogwood trees in our yard, and don’t get me wrong, I love them (it’s the state flower of North Carolina, afterall), but I’ve always wanted a pink flowering dogwood. And there it was, hidden in our overgrown, desperate-for-a-trimmin’ azaleas.

Finding this hidden treasure got me thinking about clutter and how it can often hide hidden treasures in our homes (and sometimes there is actual treasure underneath all of that crap…like the $1500 check a client once found, or a lost-but-not-forgotten $5000 watch another client unearthed!). Sometimes clutter is hiding the stuff you really love, and sometimes it’s just hiding your “real” home…the home you desperately want to live in, the one that reflects the real “you.” So what are you waiting for? Go forth and unearth your treasure!

Check out my new website @ www.neat-freak.com. There’s treasure to be found there, too!

Clutter Awareness Week

Spring is officially here, and the third week of March marks National Clutter Awareness Week. I’m not altogether sure who came up with this concept, but hey, if it gets you looking around your house and inspires you to get rid of a little mess, then I’m all for it.

At the Neat Freak’s house, we’re in clothing transition mode for the kids. Roller coaster temperatures have made this a little challenging, but we’re just layering to cope. We’re so lucky to receive massive amounts of hand-me-downs (many thanks to my sister for conveniently giving birth a year ahead of me each time…and the same gender to boot!), so we spend very little on clothing for the kids. With every season change comes the drawer-clearing, bin-emptying task of switching out clothes.

Here are a few of my favorite ways of keeping on top of the ever changing wardrobes of my two mini’s:

1. Purge and re-stock twice a year.
2. Find a buddy with kids close in age that you can swap with. My friend Mary Beth has a son older than my son, and a daughter younger than my daughter–so we have a nice swap system going.
3. Keep two bins in each child’s closet–one for “too big” and one for “too small”. When purge time roles around, empty the too small and pass it along to a friend, donate or consign what no longer fits. “Too big” hopefully becomes “just right”–so if it’s seasonally appropriate, move it into drawers.
4. Inventory items prior to shopping. There are many good deals to be found right now…but know what you need before you buy.
5. Involve the kids in the process. As much as I love an organizing project, and as much as my kids loathe one, I still feel that it’s their responsibility to help out. Plus, they can try things on and weigh in about what they like and will really wear.

Happy spring, and happy clutter-clearing!

Listen up…

Check out the latest MojoMom podcast to hear an interview with the Neat Freak! Amy Tiemann and I speak about living simply, organization, time management and the economy. And for more along those lines, check out Oprah on Monday. She’s challenging a couple of families to live without certain things for 7 days (just 7 days…we made it six months and survived!).

If you’re going without something or simplifying in a specific way to weather the economic storm, let me know here in the comments section!

Simplify your weekly shopping trip

Some days I love going to the grocery store. If I can leave the kids home with dad, swing by Starbucks on my way in the door, and shop leisurely with a plan in mind of what we’re going to eat this week, it’s really a pleasant experience. As a follow up to my kitchen article, I thought I’d share my “saving grace” plan for the weekly trip to the store…my pre-printed grocery list. I know this may sound obsessive (please recall, I do have a business called Neat Freak!), but it really does make food planning so much easier.

Originally, I saved my hand written grocery lists for about 3 weeks, and I started to see some trends. I realized that about 80% of the items that I purchased were consistent from week to week. So I sat down at my computer and entered in my lists, sorted them into categories, and put them in the same order that they appear in the grocery store. I then added in additional items that I occasionally buy (e.g. olive oil, paper towels, peanut butter, etc.), until I felt like my list was comprehensive. It’s always a work in progress and I still make changes every month or so, but for the most part, it stays the same.

Now, when I sit down on Sunday to plan out our weekly menus and think through what we need, I just go to my list, circle what I need, and I’m all set. I keep 4-5 copies printed out in my kitchen so I always have some ready to use. I stick them to the side of my fridge and as I realize things we’re running low on throughout the week, I just circle them so I don’t forget. Planning is an important part of this process–I have to spend some time each week thinking through our upcoming schedule, sifting through recipes that I may want to prepare, and asking the family what they’re in the mood for. But my pre-printed list makes this super easy–I even added a section on the right hand side to write in the menu for the week. After I finish shopping, I cut this part off and stick it to the fridge so I can remember what’s for dinner.

Do you have an easy way to grocery shop? What keeps you organized with meal planning each week?

Alt giving is all the rage…

Holiday catalogs are starting to trickle in at my house, which always makes me feel like I SHOULD shop early this year (never mind that my kids haven’t even settled on Halloween costumes yet!). I’ve decided to simplify my holidays this year by purchasing alternative gifts in honor of most friends and family. Not only does this help a great cause, it keeps me out of the mall AND doesn’t add clutter to the lives of people I care about. If you’re looking for a creative way to show you care this year, check out a few of these resources for ideas.

GIFTS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD
Changing The Present lets you change the world in exactly the way you want. For just a few dollars, you can provide a child with her first book; fund an hour of cancer research; protect an acre of the rainforest; or restore a blind person’s sight with cataract surgery. You’re sure to find something that moves you or a loved one, no matter what cause you most care about.

TO HONOR THAT SPECIAL TEACHER
DonorsChoose is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn.

FOR THE BUDDING ENTREPRENEUR
Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. You can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you’ll receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back to keep or reinvest in another business.

HELP A WOMAN A WORLD AWAY
Women for Women International helps women survivors of war move toward economic self-sufficiency with a year-long program of direct aid, rights education, job skills training and small business development. Since 1993, they’ve distributed direct aid, micro-credit loans, and other program services to more than 125,000 women in 105 countries worldwide.

FOR THE “HELP! I’M BURIED IN PAPER” PERSON IN YOUR LIFE
Raise your hand if you like receiving junk mail. Anyone? Anyone? You might be sick of hearing me talk about these people, but I can’t help myself. I now receive NO MORE junk mail and I love them for it. For a $15 one-time fee, Greendimes will reduce your junk mail (really…it works!), plant trees on your behalf, AND they’re lobbying congress to create a “Do Not Mail” registry that let’s US decide what mail we receive. Sign up a friend this holiday season…it’s truly the gift that keeps on giving!

FOR THE FREQUENT TRAVELER
I’m a little evangelical about Terrapass, too. We purchased a minivan this year and I just couldn’t justify that big honkin’ car without my Terrapass. This company allows you to offset the carbon from your vehicle (also from your home and air transportation!) and all funds go to support clean energy initiatives.

FOR THE KIDS
Share a goat, chicken or cow with a kid in your life and you’ll be the coolest grownup in town! You’re probably familiar with Heifer International (recently featured in Bill Clinton’s new book “Giving”). Their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth by giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief. Their website offers great tools for children to follow their “gift” and see where it is really having an impact.

And of course, there are always LOCAL organizations in great need of donations this time of year. So if you’re torn between the coffee mug, the fruitcake or the gift certificate to the mall, perhaps one of these sites will simplify your shopping, help you avoid last minute gift-wrapping frenzy AND leave you feeling good about your holiday purchases this year.